You're Here?
by SheIsKaraM
Summary: Naruto's life was awful. He suffered for most of his childhood. However, Tsunade was in the village the night the Kyuubi attacked.
1. Prologue: Stay With Me

**Welcome! Why I do this to myself, I don't know. Every story I have up right now is in a different fandom. This isn't good. But alas, inspiration struck in yet another fandom. Many scenes in this fanfic were inspired by scenes from other places. I'll tell you guys when that is.**

 **Without further ado, enjoy!**

 **I own nothing but OCs.**

Prologue: Stay With Me

 **October 10**

"C'mon...heal!"

Green medical chakra flowed from the woman's hands.

"Don't you die on me now! You have a child to raise and village that needs you!"

"Tsunade, it's too late-"

"No! I'm not gonna let the baby grow up alone or let Jiraiya fall into depression because his student died, sensei! I won't let them die!"

"...If you're sure, ok."

The seconds ticked by slowly. No one moved. Even slower, flesh mended and holes shrunk. Ever so slowly, a set of parents were healing.

After what seemed like hours, but was really about ten minutes, Tsunade stopped. She panted while telling the ninja surrounding her that her patients would live but needed a hospital immediately. Three ninja nodded, two lifting a parent each while the third gestured to bring the whiskered newborn with them. Hiruzen nodded and gently gave the baby to his subordinate. The three ninja with the patients vanished in shunshins.

Tsunade relaxed before listing to her right. Hiruzen caught her easily, then gently laid her on the ground.

"Thank you, Tsunade. You've saved many from an awful grief."

"Don't thank me yet; they still have a long way to go before they're fully recovered. It could be years before they wake."

"Then we will need to act as if they died." Tsunade's eyes widened but Hiruzen's hand stopped her questions. "Iwa and Kumo would not hesitate to send assassins if they knew Minato was injured or that his son was born. Measures were set in case Minato were ever injured, however, I believe they need to be augmented. Minato and Kushina's survival will be known to as few as possible, as well as Naruto's true identity." Tsunade gasped. "Naruto is also a target. His parentage must be kept secret until Minato and Kushina are fully capable of keeping him safe again."

Tsunade nodded and sat up.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

"As do I."


	2. Chapter 1: A Little Boy's Woes

**Hello lovely people! How are you this fine afternoon? Here's the next installment of "You're Here?"!**

 **Honestly, I had no idea what to title it when I first started working on this. That was the best I could think of. I saw a list of some of the most tear-jerking scenes in anime and it had breakfast from Erased. I couldn't get the scene out of my head but I had Naruto having a meal with his parents for the first time after getting them back as a child. This fic will lead up to that and go a little beyond. Consequences of Minato's and Kushina's comas need to be addressed. I don't know how far into the series I'll go or if this will stay pre-series. Also a quick rundown of some things I am using in this fic: a line break denotes a relatively short passage of time (from an hour to a few days) to scene changes, bold text indicates a specific passage of time, and italicized text are thoughts (who's thoughts should be obvious, tell me it isn't).**

 **Anyway, enjoy the first chapter!**

 **I own nothing but my OCs.**

Chapter 1: A Little Boy's Woes

 **April, four and a half years later**

A little boy of four years old bounded through Konohagakure no Sato, Konoha for short. He sloshed paint everywhere from the bucket he held behind him. Chunin chased after the boy.

"NARUTO!"

* * *

The same little boy, Naruto, panted in the alley he found to hide from the angry chunin. Believing himself safe, he left the paint and brush in the alley and made his way back to the orphanage. He knew the caretakers would be angry. They always were. No matter what he did to please them, they always favored the other children. He had no idea why. He hated it. But that was the one place willing to care for him. The other orphanages refused and no one qualified wanted to adopt. So there he was stuck.

Naruto found his bedroom window, thankfully open, and climbed back inside the plain building. Less than a minute later, the head caretaker was in his room - glaring.

"Oh, uh, hi Fubatsu-san." Naruto's voice quivered.

"And where have you been this afternoon, hm?"

"...nowhere…"

"Mhm. Then would you like to explain the missing paint supplies, the newly-colored village, and the commotion from the chunins about half an hour ago?"

"Um...well...uh...you see...well...you know-"

A frustrated groan cut off Naruto's stuttering. Naruto looked at Fubatsu with surprise and fear. She returned his gaze with one of ice and hatred. _I should have done this the day he turned four._

Fubatsu closed and locked the window before leaving the room. Naruto was confused before she returned with a small bag. She pushed him away from the dresser then stuffed what little clothes he had in the bag.

"Um...Fubatsu-san," Naruto asked nervously, "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" She shot back. Naruto flinched.

"But, why?"

Naruto was scared. The orphans normally didn't get turned out until their third year in school, when they're eight. He feared what would happen. The old man he met in the forest, jiji, was nice but Naruto wasn't sure if he would help. Naruto stood stock still while Fubatsu finished her work. She grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the front door.

Fubatsu shoved the bag of clothes into Naruto's hands before almost literally throwing him out the door. She closed and locked it before Naruto could reach. The boy pounded on the door as hard as his little arms could, begging, crying to be allowed back in. He pleaded with tears streaming down his face. Eventually, he gave up and sobbed while trudging down the street.

Up in the trees, an ANBU with the mask of a dog watched the boy walk. Another ANBU appeared next to Dog. Dog remained silent but inclined his head in questioning.

"Hokage-sama wishes to see the boy. You are to bring him there immediately."

Dog nodded. The other ANBU vanished. Dog watched Naruto walk a little further before jumping and landing in front of him. Naruto gasped and jumped back, making fists while looking up to see who this person was. He was surprised to see an ANBU.

"ANBU-san?"

"Hokage-sama wishes to see you immediately. I am to bring you there."

"But, I'm-"

Naruto's reply was cut off when Dog lifted him up and jumped from the street. Naruto instinctively wrapped his arms around Dog's neck and held on to his waist with his legs. He started smiling and enjoying the ride when the initial shock wore off.

* * *

Hiruzen sighed. Naruto had just left his office with Dog a few minutes ago. He knew the employees of the orphanage were reaching their limit, but he never imagined they would throw Naruto out. He'll need to stay with Dog for a few days while Hiruzen secures an apartment for the four-year-old. Hiruzen sighed again. He sometimes hated the civilians' attitudes.

* * *

Naruto followed his jiji through the door of the apartment. He wanted to stay with Dog but knew that he couldn't. Dog had duties. He couldn't take care of Naruto.

Naruto looked around. The apartment was small, with only a main room, bathroom, and bedroom. He didn't mind. He didn't need all that much room anyway.

"This is yours," Hiruzen explained, "Take care of it. You will receive an allowance from the village to cover rent, groceries, and any other things you may need." He handed a set of keys to the boy.

Naruto looked up at Hiruzen. "Thank you, jiji," and took the offered keys.


	3. Chapter 2: Welcome Back

**Hi guys! I almost forgot about this today. I blame the Christmas excitement. But you guys have an update! Still short, I'm sorry. I've noticed with my writing that if I don't have a good plan for how my scenes will go, the chapter will be short. My apologies for those who like long chapters. They get longer, I promise.**

 **I have also planned the ending of this fic! Chapters are already in the works. So, this will be a relatively short fic. I apologize in advance. Also, I'll reply to reviews at the end of the chapters. Yes, I read them. I just normally PM them back.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

 **I own nothing but my OCs.**

Chapter 2: Welcome Back

 **August**

While Naruto enjoyed having his own space, he also missed playing with the other children. He could go to the park and play with the kids there, but the parents always told the kids to stay away. Another problem was that he was almost constantly hungry. There never was much money left after paying for the month's rent, so he couldn't buy a lot of food. The grocers repeated overcharging didn't help, either.

One rainy evening found Naruto soaked and hungry. He dejectedly walked through the village when the delicious smell of ramen wafted through the air. He followed his nose to the small ramen shop, Ichiraku's, he'd passed a few times before. Naruto stood by the entrance for a moment before the owner, Teuchi, noticed and he ran away. Teuchi called the boy back before he could get too far. He told Naruto to sit on one of the stools while Ayame, Teuchi's daughter, ran for a towel. A few minutes later saw Naruto looking at the most delicious ramen he'd ever seen. Naruto suddenly got nervous. Did he have enough to pay for this? No, he didn't as his pockets were empty. Teuchi told him not to worry. He told the boy to eat as much as he wanted and not worry about paying for it, it's on the house. Naruto looked at the man in wonder, thanked him profusely, then dug into the most delicious ramen he'd ever eaten.

Teuchi couldn't help but smile.

* * *

About that same time, a blonde-haired man stirred in his bed. He slowly opened his eyes only to notice that he was in a white room. Looking around, he found his red-haired wife lying in the bed next to him. That's when he realized he was in a hospital.

 _We survived. How? That seal should have killed me. The kyuubi's extraction should have killed her. How?_

A nurse walked into the room before his thoughts could go any further. She noticed he was awake and went to the door to tell someone before walking to his bedside.

"Hello, Hokage-sama, how are you feeling?" Her voice was gentle.

Minato tried to speak but his throat was dry. The nurse helped him to drink some water.

"Confused." His voice was rough from disuse. "What happened? How are Kushina and I not dead?"

"You'll need to ask Tsunade-sama about that. But physically, how are you feeling?'

"My limbs feel heavy, keeping awake is difficult."

"No odd sensations?"

"Not that I can tell."

"That's good. Kushina-sama was semi-conscious a few days ago, so Tsunade-sama has hope that she'll wake fully soon. My name is Yasashii. Just press this button," she picked up a remote on the bed and pointed to a specific button, "and I'll come. Any more questions?"

"Yes. Kushina gave birth that night. Our son, where is he?"

Yasashii was silent. "You'll need to speak with Sandaime-sama about that. No one knows what happened to the child but him."

"I see."

"Well, I'll let you rest now. Just press the button if you need anything!"

She left the room and Minato sighed. He wanted to think of what she meant by her answers but he was just too tired. He fell into a dreamless sleep.

Kushina woke nearly a week later.

 **Review Time!**

 **Hitmanblacc-Thank you for thinking that this has potential! It's encouraging to hear. I'm glad that someone thinks this idea is a good one.**

 **Guest 1-I understand the want for long chapters. One thing I struggle with is expanding story when I don't have a plan. Chapter 3 is 1k+ words, so there is that. Later chapters are much longer than these beginning ones.**


	4. Chapter 3: Reunion

**Hello peoples! Happy New Year! And a very happy birthday to my big sister.**

 **So, I'm back to where I go to school (the city, the dorms don't open for a few more days, I'm staying with my grandma) and my airline lost my luggage. Well, not so much lost it, didn't get on my flight with me. I had a wonderful six hours of wondering what happened to it. Ended up on a different airline. But the important part is that I got it back! I have clothes and the key to my dorm room! Yay!**

 **This chapter is also the longest one yet, clocking in at just over 1k words. There are a few things that happened between this chapter and the last and those are the two conversations with Tsunade and Hiruzen about the night Naruto was born. I didn't have scenes in mind for these conversations so they aren't here. If I do think of stuff, I'll make a side story of one-shots. The opening scene was inspired by one from canon.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the chapter and have a wonderful New Year! Stay safe in any celebrating you do!**

 **I own nothing but my OCs**

Chapter 3: Reunion

 **September**

Naruto sat on the counter of his apartment. His jiji, Sandaime Hokage, was there dropping off the monthly allowance.

"Now don't waste it all this time."

Naruto continued to look at the floor in a pout. Hiruzen made his way to the door. A small voice stopped him before he could leave.

"Why don't I have parents?"

Hiruzen sighed. Naruto was questioning things again.

"I already told you. Your par-"

"I know that. But who were they? Why did they die?"

Hiruzen sighed again. Then he started thinking. Minato and Kushina were awake and slowly recovering. They were wheelchair-bound but staying awake all day at least. Their skin started regaining color and they weren't as skinny as before. It was risky, but Naruto needed this.

"Come here, Naruto." The boy walked over as Hiruzen slowly lowered himself into a crouch.

"Don't tell anyone in the village about who I'm taking you to see. You'll be in the biggest trouble imaginable if you do."

Naruto blinked with wide eyes before nodding.

"You promise?"

"Promise!"

Hiruzen smiled before standing up. He took Naruto's hand and led him in the direction of the hospital. He gave a small signal to his ANBU to inform the staff and his successor of their arrival.

* * *

Naruto was confused. He assumed that jiji was taking him to the graveyard to tell him his parents' names. But they weren't in the graveyard, they were in the hospital. _If my parents are dead, why did jiji take me here?_ His four-year-old brain couldn't understand why dead people would be kept in a hospital.

Hiruzen lead Naruto through the main hospital to a high-security section. ANBU were at the doors to the small ward. They didn't stop Hiruzen or Naruto but did wonder why the jinchuuriki was being led there. The Hokage led the boy to a door near the end of the hall. The room was dark, as the lights were off, but the features were clear. There were two hospital beds right next to each other with room for a third if need be along the left wall. The back wall had a large window to the outside and a door to its left. The right wall had a door all the way to the right and one all the way to the left with cupboards and a counter between them. Sandiame-sama tugged Naruto through the door to the left on the right wall. He knocked before entering at a soft "come in" from the other side.

This room's lights were on, making it bright, and it was smaller than the other room. The right wall also had a large window but no door. There was some exercise and physical therapy equipment in the left half of the room, while the right half had a small rectangular table with some chairs, a few lounge chairs, and a TV. Two people, one blond and one redhead, sat next to each other in wheelchairs at the table with nurses directly across from them. They all seemed to be playing a game but looked up when Hiruzen and Naruto walked in. The nurses got up and pushed their patients over to the Sandiame, who walked further into the room, Naruto trailing cautiously behind.

"Sandaime-sama," the nurses said simultaneously while giving respectful bows.

"Yasashii, Haru," He responded while nodding to each.

Naruto eyes wandered before settling on Hiruzen. He was even more confused and a little scared now.

"Is that…" The redhead, a woman, trailed off.

Naruto, whose attention shifted to the patients, saw they were both incredibly skinny. Their cheeks were sunken and their clothes swamped them. Their skin had a slight yellow tint to it and their limbs looked a little knobby without the normal fat and muscle.

"Yes, he is." Hiruzen confirmed. Smiles broke out on both patients faces as Hiruzen turned to Naruto, "Naruto, these two are your parents, Minato and Kushina."

Now Naruto's confusion was off the charts. _My parents? But you told me…_

"But jiji, you told me…"

"It was to keep you safe, Naruto," Minato interjected. Naruto looked over at his supposed father.

"That's right," Hiruzen confirmed, "That is why you need to keep this a secret. The other villagers can't know who your parents are."

"But-"

"Naruto, come here," Kushina requested.

Naruto hid behind Hiruzen a little more. The old man gave a small smile then turned to the child. He took the child's hand and led him to Kushina. Hiruzen looked at her to confirm that it would be alright before lifting Naruto onto the woman's lap.

Naruto froze at the sudden closeness. Then he got a closer look at her face. He moved to kneel on the wheel chair with his knees on either side of Kushina's legs. He looked at her face in wonder, gently setting his hands on her cheeks. "Mommy?" He whispered.

Kushina's smile turned gentle as she looked into her son's eyes. "Yes, sweetheart."

Naruto's eyes widened while he gasped. Then tears welled up in his eyes. Before anyone could do anything, Naruto buried his face in Kushina's shoulder and cried his heart out, clinging to her hospital clothes.

Kushina's arms immediately came up to surround her son's small body. She rubbed his back and whispered sweet nothings to him. Minato's hand joined hers as the man leaned to look at his son's face. Naruto jumped slightly at the touch, pulling his face from his mother's shoulder to look at his father.

That's when he took a close look at Minato, specifically his eyes. Naruto found his own eyes staring back at him. A new wave of grief washed over the boy, "Daddy…" More tears welled in his eyes. Tears built in Minato's as well, "Oh, Naruto."

Naruto's head fell back to Kushina's shoulder while still looking at his father. Kushina continued to rub his back while Minato placed his hand on the joint between the boy's head and neck, running his thumb over the tiny cheek. Sadness and love filled their faces. They stayed like that for about half an hour.

Hiruzen and the nurses left at some point during the reunion, seeing that this was something private and intimate. Minato called them back about half an hour after they left. Naruto was sleeping on his mother's shoulder when the trio came back in. Haru was about to take Naruto and set him on one of the beds but Kushina refused to part from him. Hiruzen, Yasashii, and Minato smiled. No bond is more special than the one between mother and child. Minato quietly asked that they be pushed back to the table to continue their game. Hiruzen had some things to do at the tower so he bid them farewell.

* * *

Naruto spent every day with his parents from that day forward, visiting hours permitting.

 **Review Time!**

 **Princess Hinashi-Naruto was four in the last chapter and this chapter.**

 **DxGRAYxMAN-Oh yes. I may not show it here in the story, but an explosive argument between Kushina, Minato, and Hiruzen happened when Naruto told his parents about his treatment at the hands of the village. Accusations of negligence flew right and left.**


	5. Chapter 4: Festival Tragedy

**Hi guys! I've started school again. But never fear! I have the story completely written so the updates won't slow and will continue on Tuesdays. My apologies for this one. Completely slipped my mind yesterday.**

 **I could have a new job! So excited. I might also be starting taekwondo classes again. Gotta get some exercise somehow.**

 **So, Minato and Kushina discovered during Naruto's visits that he can't read. They have since taught him how as well as some basic math. That way he won't completely burn through his monthly allowance. They also discovered the less than great treatment of him. Que explosive argument with Hiruzen.**

 **I own nothing but my OCs. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4: Festival Tragedy

 **October 10**

Naruto was surprised when he came to his parents' room to find a small birthday celebration for him. He almost started crying, he was so happy. They played games with all the doctors and nurses who knew as well as Tsunade and Hiruzen. When visiting hours were over, Tsunade and the on-duty nurses gently ushered Naruto out of the room. Naruto wasn't upset by this. He knew when visiting hours were and happily said bye to his parents. They wished him well and gave him their love. He smiled as he walked out of the hospital.

That was near five in the evening. Now, three hours later, he wishes he never left his apartment to attend the annual festival. He was in the middle of a crowd being restrained at the shoulders by a chunin. He tried to kick his way out, but the chunin held strong.

"He's a feisty one, isn't he?"

"Too bad that's not gonna help him."

"Yeah!"

Naruto continued to struggle.

"You know something? He looks like Yondaime-sama. Probably in mockery."

Naruto wanted to tell these stupid villagers. He really did. But he couldn't.

"Such blond hair and blue eyes."

"I say cut it off!"

Naruto gasped, looking at the villagers in fear.

"Yeah, let's cut off his hair! And take out his eyes while we're at it!"

A chorus of agreements sounded. Naruto renewed his struggles as a different chunin pulled out a knife while a random villager grabbed his head.

"No! No, please!"

Naruto's shouts went unheeded. He screamed as his hair was pulled and the knife ran across his head, cutting the hair and some skin off.

He sobbed when they finished on his hair. The guy with the knife then forcibly opened one of Naruto's eyes. The boy tried to squirm away but couldn't. He screamed again as the knife plunged into his eye. It swirled around a bit before being taken out and the process repeated with the other eye.

Naruto couldn't think. His mind was too fogged up with pain to even try. People talked around him but he couldn't make out what they were saying. He suddenly felt a searing pain in his chest where he was stabbed. He fell into unconsciousness before he heard his rescuers arrive.

* * *

Minato and Kushina were in the main room reading when they heard a commotion from the hall. People were running and yelling. They could tell chaos lay beyond their door.

They looked at each other for a moment before a shout from Tsunade turned their blood ice cold.

"Naruto, stay with me!"

Suddenly a group of five people, Tsunade, another doctor, and three nurses, burst into the room surrounding a gurney. Tsunade's green chakra could be seen hovering over the incredibly still form of their now five-year-old son. Blood covered his torso, eyes, and scalp. A nurse broke off from the group to keep Minato and Kushina from rushing over. Tsunade needed to focus.

Naruto's heart monitor showed an erratic heart beat. The knife from the chunin nearly hit his heart, but missed by a few centimeters. His eyes were a mess. However, Tsunade was confident she could heal them to how they were before. His scalp was mostly intact, but there were so many cuts that it looked like the skin was gone.

Minato and Kushina moved their wheelchairs closer together so they could hold each other. Kushina cried into her husband's chest while he asked what happened.

"He was attacked by the villagers. Tonight is the memorial festival for those who died in the kyuubi attack. Many blame Naruto and fear him because he holds the beast," the nurse told him.

Minato was about to say something unsavory about the villagers when Tsunade sighed.

"Wrap his chest. He's to the point where it should heal on its own." She then moved on Naruto's head, focusing mainly on the eyes.

Husband and wife relaxed a little. Their son would live. Thank goodness.

Tsunade worked on Naruto's eyes for almost an hour and a half. She explained that the eye is one of the most complicated organs in the body and must be treated delicately. She told the other doctor to bandage the scalp and eyes. Two gauze pads were placed over each eye before more gauze was wrapped around the entire head to keep them secure.

Minato and Kushina wheeled over to Naruto's bedside while Tsunade checked over the machines hooked up to Naruto. He had a heart monitor which showed a now stable heartbeat, an IV feeding him liquids and medicine, a face mask helping him breathe, and a few others.

"He's stable, but won't be awake for a while. Those villagers really did a number on him."

Minato and Kushina remained silent. Tsunade sighed before placing a hand on their shoulders.

"He'll be okay. It may take him a few weeks, but he'll be okay."

Minato wheeled over to Naruto's left side. "Thank you," he murmured while grabbing his son's tiny hand.

Tsunade nodded and left the room.

Kushina, on Naruto's right, had her son's other hand in hers. She pressed the fingers to her forehead before breaking down into tears. Minato couldn't do much but watch her with an expression of intense grief. He looked away from her to look at Naruto. The entirety of his scalp was covered in bandages in addition to ones covering his eyes. The bandages on the boy's chest were clear due to him not having a shirt. Minato ran a gentle finger down the boy's cheek. It was soft. He pulled his hand back and looked at Kushina again. Her head was on the mattress facing Naruto's while she still held the small hand. Minato followed suit. Soon, both were asleep.

They refused to leave their boy's side upon waking up the following morning.

 **Review Time!**

 **kayna96-Thanks for the follow! I'm also happy that you're eager to see his progress. I think you'll like it.**

 **AngelAmongTheStars-I'm glad you like it so far. One thing I do struggle with is pacing, so I know what you're talking about. That's why I asked my friend to beta for me.**


	6. Chapter 5: Waking Up

**Hey guys! Sadly this is yet another shorter chapter. (They get longer, I promise.)**

 **O Chem sucks. I don't like how difficult the subject material is but my professor makes the tests and quizzes hard, too. Way to add insult to injury.**

 **Nothing really happened between this chapter and the last. If any of you were curious, the person who rescued Naruto was the ANBU Dog, AKA Kakashi. He swore he turned for only a second.**

 **Anywho, I won nothing but my OCs. Enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 5: Waking Up

 **October 13**

Waking was a challenge. He wanted to go back to the black nothing but the world said no. Slowly, he heard sounds. It took him a minute before he could place what sound went with what thing. What felt like an eternity later, he could differentiate between voice, footsteps, and rolling things. He also felt weight on him. What were those things called again? Hein, no. Ham, no. Hear, no. H-something. He...hi...ha...han...hand. Hand! There was weight on his hands!

Satisfied that he could figure that out, he focused on some other things. He could smell soap and the remnants of food. But what he really wanted was to see where he was. He knew he was lying on a bed. Not his bed. No, his bed was hard. This bed was nice and soft with comfy sheets. There was also the matter of the weight on his hands. What was that weight?

He tried to open his eyes and found that he couldn't. He thought hard. Eyes were supposed to open, right? Then why couldn't he? His breathing started to quicken as his heart steadily pumped faster. The muscles in his hands and arms started to clench, causing the weight to move. He heard voices above his head. But without his sight, he couldn't see who was speaking to him.

The voices swam together before he could pick out a common pattern among it all.

"Naruto!"

"Naruto, can you hear me?"

"Sweetheart calm down, it's okay!"

"Naruto!"

The boy recognized two of the voices, mommy and daddy. If they were there, then that means he's in the hospital with them. Safe. Out of danger. Slowly, he let their voices soothe his mind. His heart and breathing slowed as well.

"Can we move him?" Daddy, on his left.

"Carefully. His wounds are still fairly fresh, but I see no reason to keep him laying like that." Tsunade baa-chan.

Suddenly, at least six hands lifted him off the bed.

"Be careful of the wires and tubes."

The hands gently moved him into a sitting position before setting him down on someone's lap, his left side pressed to their front. The hands leaned his head on the person's shoulder. Arms wrapped around him gently as he heard his father's voice above him.

"Hey, buddy. I'm glad you're awake."

He sat in his father's lap before feeling something else move up in front of them. A different hand lightly touched his upper left arm.

"I'm glad you're awake too." Mommy. She's the one who moved in front of them. Naruto slowly lifted his right hand and Kushina grasped it between her two. The three stayed like that for a few minutes. The two nurses who accompanied Tsunade went back to their posts as Tsunade herself knelt by the small family.

"Daddy?" Naruto's voice was barely a whisper.

A straw was at his lips before he could say anything else. He complied with the request and drank some of the water. A dryness in his throat he didn't notice before was soothed by the cool liquid.

"Daddy?" Naruto asked again, his voice a little stronger.

"Yes, Naruto?"

"Why can't I see anything?"

Minato stopped. He looked at Kushina, then Tsunade, looking for an answer. Tsunade sighed.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Tsunade asked gently.

"My head hurt, a lot. My chest hurt pretty bad, too. I couldn't see."

"The villagers hurt your eyes. I healed them, but the bandages covering them will need to stay on for a few days."

"Ok…"

Minato hugged him a little tighter, but still mindful of the injuries.

* * *

Kushina looked at Minato, who was still holding their son. Naruto fell asleep again about an hour beforehand but Minato just couldn't let him go. This experience scared the both of them. Some aspects of fuuinjutsu would certainly need to be explained to the villagers. And the fact that there is a difference between the sealed and the container.

 **Review Time!**

 **NaruHinaF-I'm glad you like it! Naruto is not blind. I toyed with the idea for a little bit before deciding not to. It would make being a ninja difficult. Naruto will be at the academy soon, don't worry.**

 **DxGRAYxMAN-They can't quite get to those villagers. They're officially dead, wheelchair bound, and confined to the hospital. There's not much they can do. You'll need to wait a few chapters for the big reveal, but Minato does get to release some serious killing intent.**

 **KatoGS123 Youtuber-I am well aware of my need to lengthen chapters. If it makes you feel any better, later chapters are around 2k words long. I don't want to spoil too much, but we do get an incident on Naruto's birthday later in the story. No one dies, but the villagers will definitely think twice before mistreating Naruto again.**


	7. Chapter 6: Recovery

**Happy Tuesday! I got a new job at Walgreens! That'll definitely help with finances.**

 **School is being school. Classes are tough but I'm enjoying them. The day off for MLK Day didn't hurt either...**

 **This one is nearly 2k words long. Le gasp. Not much happened "off-screen" per se again between this chapter and the last, though Minato and Hiruzen did have a long discussion about Naruto's guard in a timeskip over the course of this chapter.**

 **I own nothing but my OCs. Enjoy!**

Chapter 6: Recovery

 **October 16**

Naruto got the bandages on his eyes taken off that day. He was so excited. His nurse, Heisei, gently unwrapped his eyes under the careful supervision of Tsunade. He bounced on the bed a little while the sannin grabbed the pads on each eye before they could fall. She knelt to Naruto's eye level and watched him carefully as his eyes opened. Progress was a little slow and he blinked a few times before leaving them open.

The eyes looked perfect, just as they were before the incident. Tsunade still put a medical-chakra-infused hand over his eyes just to check.

"I can't sense if anything is different, but problems could arise down the line. How do your eyes feel?"

"Moving them hurts a little, but everything is clear. I can see you, I can see mommy, I can see daddy, I can see the plants outside,-"

"Ok, bud," Tsunade chuckled. Minato and Kushina also laughed from their wheelchairs behind her.

In the few days between his waking and now, many of the machines were disconnected from Naruto. He still had his heart monitor and IV, the mask replaced with a cannula, but the others were removed. Both parents and child were happy with that. He could move easier.

 **October 23**

Today was an exciting day. Tsunade planned for Minato and Kushina to take their first true steps. For this reason, Naruto sat on an easychair, his heart monitor gone two days ago, watching his parents be lifted to the two sets of bars. There were two in a set, separated enough for a person to walk through. They were long, straight, and about at the level of a person's hips. Naruto guessed they were to help a person walk.

Tsunade believed they were ready for this as they'd been gaining strength for nearly three months now. Their arm muscles gained a good bit of strength from wheeling themselves around and helping Naruto climb up onto their laps. And they already gained about 30 lbs each. Minato and Kushina could do this.

The sannin stood at the opposite end from where her patients stood. Two nurses flanked each patient, ready to help should one stumble.

"Alright, who wants to try this first?"

Minato looked to his feet. Then, ever so slightly, raised his right foot and slid it forward. His body shook with the exertion, even though he only managed to move his foot a few inches before setting it down. He then lifted his left foot and slid it forward. It, too, was only a few inches in front of the other but that didn't matter. Minato was walking under his own power.

"Yay! Daddy! I knew you can do it!"

Naruto's praise stirred Minato's resolve. The man continued to slowly move along the bars. Kushina's resolve also stirred with her son's words. Soon, she was slowly moving along the bars as well.

Minato chuckled bitterly in his head. _Wasn't this supposed to be the other way around? Kushina and I should have been the ones encouraging Naruto to walk. Instead, he learned in an orphanage that hated him while we slept the days away. Now we have to relearn to walk with our son watching in a corner, injured because we weren't there to keep him safe. What kind of parents are we?_

Minato got so lost in thought that he didn't notice he'd reached the end of the bars. A hand on his chest pulled him from his thoughts, and prevented him from face-planting.

"Ok, I think that's good for now," Tsunade announced, "You'll do one walk-down every four hours each day until you can do it in about 5 minutes. Then you'll walk down and back every four hours. The distance will keep doubling until you're able to walk down and back 80 times in 10 minutes."

Minato and Kushina nodded from where they sat in their wheelchairs. The nurses also made sure to remember. It wouldn't do to have them fall during therapy, after all.

Naruto, who had been quiet through the therapy, tried to jump excitedly from the easy chair. He hadn't moved very far before grunting in pain. He fell back into the chair as a Yasashii ran over. Naruto curled into a ball while she rubbed his back, attempting to soothe the small boy. Kushina wheeled over. She told Yasashii to put Naruto in her lap. Yasashii gently lifted the whimpering boy and set him down with his mother. She hugged him close.

 **December 2**

Kushina smiled as she wheeled back to the recreation/physical therapy room. It was mid-afternoon and Naruto slept peacefully in his hospital bed. His mother took one last look at him before turning and wheeling through the door. She found her husband at the table writing something down. "What are you writing, dear?"

Minato's eyes moved to the window for a moment before he turned to look at Kushina. "I'm writing the announcement to all the ANBU that Naruto is ours."

Kushina furrowed her eyebrows, "But don't they already know?"

"They may know that we're alive, but only the best in the entire corps are assigned to our guard. From what I understand, those on his guard just remain outside the hospital until he leaves. No ANBU outside our guard know that he's ours. I'm going to fix that." Minato turned back to his paper.

Hiruzen walked quietly into the room just then. He closed the door softly behind him and took a seat at the table.

"Hello, Kushina."

"Good afternoon, sandaime-sama."

"How is Naurto's recovery progressing?"

"He's doing well. Tsunade-sama hopes to have him out within two weeks."

Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully, "And your own?"

"We've been walking a little over a week now but are still having some trouble keeping upright."

"I see."

A soft whimpering from the other room cut off their conversation. Kushina sighed sadly, "He's been having nightmares of the attack ever since waking up. They were especially bad when his eyes were still wrapped."

Hiruzen hummed in understanding, "Go comfort your son, I have matters to discuss with Minato anyway."

Kushina nodded before wheeling out of the room and to Naruto's bedside. Hiruzen turned to Minato.

"Almost done?"

"Almost." Minato put down his pen as he set his head in his hands and closed his eyes. "Naruto is my child and I can't keep him safe. He watches his mother and I relearn to walk from that easy chair over there, encouraging us to keep going. That should have been the other way around. Instead, he's wanted dead by many in the village. His injuries are proof of that." Minato sighed. "At least with this, they can't get close enough to actually hurt him."

"Minato, Naruto will be okay. He'll be out of here within two weeks."

"Yes, but what about his guard?" Minato dropped his hands and leveled a dead stare at his predecesser, "If they keep going the way they have been, he'll just end up here over and over."

"I have the feeling that won't happen once the announcement is made to the ANBU."

Minato stopped for a moment, realizing Hiruzen was right.

"Besides, the changes to Naruto's guard assignment will ensure his safety."

Minato relaxed a little. A small smile crept up the man's face before agreeing with his fellow Hokage. He looked over the paper in front of him, writing a few more words and signing it. Hiruzen took a quick look over it, smiling and nodding when he finished. "I'll make sure this gets to every ANBU we have."

Minato nodded and Hiruzen left. The twenty-nine-year-old wheeled himself to the other room to check on Naruto and Kushina. The boy was cradled in his mother's arms, eyes red from tears. Minato parked himself in Naruto's line of sight and reached to ruffle his hair. Minato's child gave a small smile and snuggled closer to his mother.

 **December 13**

Naruto got released that day. He was so excited. Now, he was sad that he couldn't be with his parents constantly anymore, but he was happy because he would start at the academy in a few weeks. Kushina adjusted his vest for the hundredth time while telling him about different things at school. Naruto listened intently, he wanted to know as much as possible beforehand.

Across the room, Minato had his own bout of fussing. Only over the pair of ANBU assigned to walk Naruto to his apartment, Bird and Boar. Minato talked extensively with Sandaime about increasing Naruto's guard, or change the situations to interfere at least. They eventually agreed upon having two ANBU on him at all times in a rotating schedule and they would only interfere if conflict escalated beyond regular bullying. At the first sign of a weapon or jutsu, ANBU would grab him and take him to either his apartment, the Hokage tower, or Minato and Kushina's hospital room, whichever was closest. This incident would never be repeated.

Minato made sure their orders were clear. One was to watch the walk home from the shadows while the other held Naruto's hand and walked with him the entire way. The one who was physically next to Naruto was to make sure Naruto got into the apartment fine, everything was in order, then disappear into the shadows with the other. They nodded, for the fiftieth time. They were getting tired of listening to the same thing over and over. However, they understood that Minato was just being an overprotective dad who almost lost his child. Once Naruto's status as the Yondaime's son was revealed to the ANBU corps, most felt awful for slacking when assigned to his guard. They'd let their hero's son suffer. It wouldn't happen again.

Tsunade walked in. "Alright, ready to go, Naruto?"

Naruto turned. "Yep!"

Tsunade held out her hand and Naruto walked over to take it. Minato said some final words to the two ANBU. Boar walked to Naruto's side while Bird disappeared from sight. Naruto made sure to say bye to his parents before leaving the room with Tsunade and Boar. The three walked down the hall until they reached the door to the rest of the hospital. The doctor bid the other two farewell before turning back to the ward. Boar took Naruto's hand and continued to walk through and out of the hospital. They received a few questioning glances, but both ignored them. The walk through the streets got them more glances. Thankfully, no one stopped them. They made it to the apartment and Boar got Naruto inside safely.

 **Review Time!**

 **KatoGS123 Youtuber-Well, I don't want to spoil a lot of the encounter but please remember that Minato is the Hokage. The leader of the village. He needs the acknowledgement and trust of his villagers. Killing one of his own out of anger wouldn't help, even if it is justified.**

 **DxGRAYxMAN-I'm glad you love it so far. I'm excited to have this going.**


	8. Chapter 7: Education Troubles

**I am so sorry for how this is, I did not forget intentionally! But happy Friday!**

 **I had midterms this week. I don't think much more needs to be said on that.**

 **I've now been working at Walgreens for the past week and it is kicking my butt. This is in addition to classes and my on-campus job. I'll probably need to switch update day to Friday because, so far, that's the only day I don't have work. I'm so tired.**

 **Not much out of the ordinary happened between this chapter and the previous. Naruto got a few presents for Christmas from Hiruzen, Tsunade, and his parents. The villagers still don't like Naruto but the increased ANBU guard prevents anything from happening. I'm gonna say that classes start mid-January and that there is a month-long break every three months. That's my headcannon and I'm sticking with it!**

 **I own nothing but my OCs. Enjoy!**

Chapter 7: Education Troubles

 **January**

Naruto skipped his way to the hospital. It was his first day of school. Minato and Kushina told him to come before class because they had some stuff for him. He walked into their room with a huge grin. He found huge grins on his parents' faces as well. Naruto saw something behind Minato's wheelchair and turned his head to look. Minato chuckled. He grabbed the item which turned out to be a toad backpack with some notebooks, pencils, and stickers. Attached was a matching lunchbox full of snacks.

Naruto gasped and ran over to Minato. "Thank you! Thank you! ThankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouTHANKYOU!"

Kushina and Minato couldn't help but laugh. Their boy tackled Minato first, because he had the backpack, then tackled Kushina. Naruto squeezed them as much as his small arms could. Minato and Kushina helped Naruto put the backpack on when he let go. They all talked for a little bit, parents giving child some advice and pointers. Before long, Minato told his son to get going otherwise he'd be late.

"I'll be back after school! I love you, bye!" And he ran out the door.

* * *

Naruto was bored. Completely and utterly bored. It was only 10 am and school started at about 8:30! That was not a lot of time. But the day dragged on because Naruto was so. Darn. Bored! He took another look at the clock. 2 minutes. Only 2 minutes had passed since the last time he checked. Naruto knew he would go crazy if he had to endure this every day.

* * *

Naruto sat on the swing tied to the tree, watching the other kids play their games. He wanted to join, but they wouldn't let him. They said their parents would get mad. Everyone he asked gave him the same sort of answer. So there he was, alone. He wished his parents were here, just so that someone would play with him.

* * *

Minato and Kushina were working on their walking again. It was getting easier, but they couldn't manage to walk down and back in 5 minutes yet. Kushina asked a question once they sat down again.

"I wonder how his first day is going?"

Minato looked over, "I'm sure he's doing fine."

* * *

Naruto got a crumpled paper to the back of his head for the fifth time since getting back from recess. He wanted to pound whoever did it to the ground. However, his parents told him that he needed to behave or else the teacher would be mad at him. He didn't want the teacher to get mad so he tried to ignore it. Tried. The sixth came just before the bell rang for the end of school, and he was out of his seat as soon as it did.

"What is your problem?!" Naruto shouted at the culprit, fist raised.

"Ah...huh...ah...nnnnnnothing!"

"Naruto! What is going on here?" The teacher, Mizuki, demanded.

"He's been throwing paper balls at my head!"

Mizuki sighed, "Try using words before fists next time. Now get out of here, both of you."

* * *

Minato and Kushina looked up from their game when Naruto burst into the room. He looked like he had run all the way over from school. He was red and panting. That's not what made them concerned. Minato and Kushina were concerned because their son looked about ready to cry.

"Naruto, sweetie, what wrong?" Kushina wheeled herself closer.

Naruto's response was to climb on her lap and cry. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and started rocking. Minato wheeled himself next to them. He looked at Naruto for a moment before asking him what was wrong again.

Sniffle "I was bored.-" hiccup "-I had nothing but-" sniff "-the snacks-" sob "-for lunch.-" rubbed eyes "-the kids-" hiccup "-left me out-" sniff "-or threw things-" sniff "-at me.-" rubbed eyes "-and the teachers-" sniff "-didn't do anything-" sniff "- about it!"

"Oh buddy," Minato sighed, "I'm so sorry. That's an awfully rough day."

"Yeah," Kushina chimed in, "Just stay right here until your tears run out. Then we can work on any homework you have."

Sniff sniff, "okay…"

Kushina would've marched right over to the school if she could. No one treated her son like that! Alas, she was wheelchair-bound and officially dead. She couldn't do a thing, which frustrated her to no end.

Naruto's tears died down after about 15 minutes, so the three of them moved over to the table. Naruto pulled out some of the work given him that day. He said that he didn't understand the questions. Minato sat Naruto on his lap, gave his son a pencil, and started explaining the assignment. Kushina added a few tidbits here and there, but Minato did most of the explaining. Kushina looked at her boys with fondness before noticing Heisei walking in with a small plate of food. She bent next to Yondaime's wife.

"I was working on the sheets when I heard Naruto crying," Heisei whispered in Kushina's ear, "I picked up that he was hungry so I asked the kitchen for a little food and milk."

Kushina smiled. "Thank you, Heisei," she whispered back.

* * *

Naruto left the hospital that with a fuller tummy and completed homework.

 **No reviews to respond to. :(**


	9. Chapter 8: Joy and Grief

**Closer to what's supposed to be regular upload time! Yay! Seriously though, adding Walgreens shifts to what I'm already getting from school is kinda kicking my butt. At least I'm getting paid.**

 **Huge time-skip here, sorry about that. Not much in terms of plot happened. The only thing that I should really mention is that Naruto didn't go to the festival again after his fifth birthday. He's still a little scared but Minato and Kushina are helping him through it.**

 **That should be all. I own nothing but my OCs. Enjoy!**

Chapter 8: Joy and Grief

 **October 9, eve of Naruto's 8th birthday**

Every school day passed similar to the first. Naruto would go to the hospital before and after classes. He was grateful for the time with his parents because they explained his homework. Otherwise he would be dead last because he didn't understand a thing. They also taught him jutsu and chakra control as well.

Today, though, his parents acted a little strange. They were giddy. They also gave him a slip of paper, telling him to go there instead of the hospital when school let out that day. Naruto shook his head. He needed to focus. School mattered more than some slightly strange behavior from his parents.

* * *

Minato was both excited and nervous. He and Kushina were being released from the hospital today. They had gotten non-stop well wishes since their survival was announced a few weeks ago. He hoped that no one would stop them on the way home. Then again, he could always use the flying raijin to get home. No, that wouldn't be a good idea. He may be able to go across the hospital, but across the village might be a bit of a stretch.

That's not to say he couldn't fight. Far from it, for both of them. Both were able to run unassisted by Naruto's sixth birthday. They've been training ever since. They could spar at their usual speeds by Naruto's seventh birthday and their jutsus were coming along nicely. They also taught Naruto taijutsu and chakra control after school when his homework was finished. Both knew that he would have trouble with it due to the massive reserves he had. Getting him started early would only help his progress.

"Just sign here and you both are free to go!" Haru said happily.

"Thank you, Haru," Kushina replied, "We appreciate all that you've done."

"It was no trouble. I hope you two enjoy the rest of your day."

Minato and Kushina nodded while handing back the release forms. They were dressed in casual attire, hoping to not be disturbed during their walk.

* * *

Yondaime and his wife entered the front door to find their home spotless. Everything was clean as if it wasn't vacant for 8 years. They both smiled.

Kushina walked over to the kitchen to check her food seals. To her surprise, everything inside was a fresh as the day she bought it. _Well that will make shopping easy._ She also found that all the dishes were clean and put away.

Minato moved upstairs towards the bedrooms. He found his study clean, with most of the weapons stored there untouched. The bathroom was also clean, as well as his and Kushina's bedroom. Then he moved to Naruto's room. He saw that everything was clean and in its place. The large crib still at the left back corner with the dresser and changing table on the left wall. The right wall had a big window with the toy box set centered underneath. A rocking chair sat between the crib and box on the back wall. To his right on the front wall, a mostly empty bookcase sat. The walls were painted green with "Naruto" spelled in wooden letters hung over the crib. _This will need to be re-arranged._

Minato called Kushina up from the kitchen. Together, they moved the toy box and the rocking chair out of the room and into a storage room downstairs. Kushina also took down the letters for Naruto's name except for the "N". Minato removed the rails from the crib, making it a perfect bed for the boy. They left the sheets and stuffed animals on the bed. That's when they heard a knock on the front door.

Kushina opened the door to find a genin team carrying a desk and chair. She smiled and ushered them in. _Thank you, Minato, for having the foresight to ask Sandaime-sama to find Naruto a desk._ They carried the furniture up the stairs and into Naruto's room.

"Here we are," the sensei announced, "One desk and chair."

"Thank you, jounin-san," Minato replied, "You are dismissed."

The team bowed and left. Minato and Kushina then moved the desk so the toy box was under the window and the chair right in front. They then ate a late lunch and went over to Naruto's apartment to gather his things.

They found Naruto's apartment a complete mess. They weren't surprised but did grimace a little. They moved through the apartment. Everywhere was a mess. _I thought we taught him better,_ thought both in varying ways. Even so, they packed up his clothes, school supplies, and whatever he had that was good.

* * *

Naruto looked up at the house in front of him. This was where they told him go, but he didn't understand why. It was a pleasant-looking two-story house with a good-sized yard and a fence. There were lights on, so someone was home. The front door opened just after he walked through the gate. Minato smiled at him.

"Dad..?" Naruto was in shock.

"Welcome home, bud."

Naruto's eyes widened before he ran and tackled Minato in a hug. There were tears in his now clenched eyes. That was all he'd ever wanted to hear for so long. Now he had it. His parents were home.

"Naruto, if that's you, go take off your shoes and check out your room," Kushina shouted from the kitchen.

Naruto looked up at Minato in wonder. The man nodded to his son, who promptly ripped off his shoes and sprinted up the stairs. He stopped in his tracks upon entering the room. He had a nice bed, dresser, desk, and a big bookcase. The walls were green with an "N" above his bed. Minato walked up behind him.

"Do you like it?"

Naruto wanted to respond. He wanted to shout to the heavens that he loved it! But something kept him from speaking. Instead, he turned around and gave his dad a bone-crushing hug.

"I'll take that as a yes," Minato chuckled.

Minato gently detached his son from himself and led him to the desk. "How about we get your homework done, ok?"

"Ok!"

* * *

Minato and Naruto managed to finish the boy's homework around 4pm so Minato took his son to the backyard for training. Minato started with taijutsu to wear the boy down a little before working on chakra control. He could be a little more thorough today because they didn't have visiting hours to worry about. He could also work on his own jutsus while Naruto did his control exercises.

Naruto was happy for the longer sessions he could have now. He would get better much faster now, for sure! He worked hard on his control. He still didn't quite have it completely down, but he had a better grasp than even 6 months ago. He finished after half an hour of work as a flash caught his eye. He looked over to find his dad. Minato did some hand signs and a gust of air flew past. Enthralled, Naruto focused completely on what Minato did.

Kushina announced that dinner was ready around 5:45. Her boys went inside where Minato guided Naruto to wash his hands. Kushina returned to the kitchen to bring out the last of the food.

Naruto stopped when he walked into the dining room. Minato noticed and looked to his son. The boy had tears streaming down his face.

Minato knelt to Naruto's eye level. "What's wrong, bud?"

"This... is this...what a family dinner looks like?" Naruto's voice wavered and cracked.

Kushina walked over and knelt like Minato, "Yes, sweetheart."

Naruto's clenched fists rose to rub at his closed eyes. Instantly, Kushina and Minato enveloped their son in a hug from both sides. Kushina, at Naruto's front, held his head to her shoulder with her other arm around his back. Minato had one hand on the top of Naruto's head with the other arm stretched around Naruto to Kushina's back, pulling them close together. Naruto's tears subsided after about ten minutes but was still a little sniffly. Kushina put the hand on his head under his bottom to lift him up. Minato smiled at Naruto and ruffle his hair when he caught his eye. Kushina sat Naruto on a chair then sat down on the chair right next to him. Minato sat across from them.

Kushina dished some food for Naruto. The boy frowned at the vegetables put on his plate. "You won't know you don't like it until you try," Kushina said sternly. Naruto sulked a little in his seat but didn't complain. The adults finished dishing the food and said the customary pre-eating thanks. They all ate with just a few lingering sniffles from Naruto.

 **Review Time!**

 **Roder-The ANBU code named "Dog" knows that they are alive, the shinobi Hatake Kakashi does not. All ANBU are sworn to secrecy once they enter the service. I feel like those in the ANBU have a sort of dual-life where they are one person while under the mask then someone completely different when it's gone. "Dog" may know, but that information is forgotten once Kakashi takes the mask off. I know I haven't mentioned him much in this story, but the Namikaze-Uzumaki family is the focus of this fic. I do not give scenes to characters that are not the main focus, it isn't my style. Secondary characters will appear as the scene demands. Otherwise there will be no mention of them.**

 **But as for your question, Kakashi doesn't interact with Naruto much right now for the same reasons as in the anime. The general populace is unaware of Naruto's parentage. It wouldn't really make sense for Kakashi to take an interest in a kid who has seemingly no connection to him. He is one of Naruto's guards, so take that as you will. I leave a lot of room for blank filling in my fics.**

 **royalaces-That's coming, don't you worry! (I say at the end of the chapter where they are basically back to normal. Oh the irony.)**

 **DxGRAYxMAN-I don't know how homeschooling would work in the Naruto universe, though. Also keeping him even more isolated in the hospital room would do him more harm than good. I was actually homeschooled by my mother for Kindergarden through 8th grade and one thing my mother always made sure to do was have my sisters and I attend some sort of out-of-home enrichment for other homeschoolers. She knew we needed to interact with others our age in order for us to grow normally. That's a little of the same thing here with Naruto. Yes, the two are capable of teaching him everything then put him in the academy when they recover, but he would not have the social skills needed to make friends and integrate well.**

 **Guest 2-Well, the next chapter has their first official appearance in public (even if it's only to the festival and not making any speeches).**


	10. Chapter 9: Shock

**Sorry about that guys! At least it's one day late and not three...**

 **Snow here has kept me mostly in my room for the past, like, five days and I'm a little stir crazy. I refused to leave campus Monday and yesterday in fear of sliding down a hill and hurting someone. But I can now make ti to Walgreens for my shift today, yay! We also finally had class for the first time in three days as well, so I'm happy about that. I actually missed going to classes...**

 **Anyway, this chapter picks up the morning after the last one. Naruto had a little experience with Minato and Kushina putting him to bed because of his stint in the hospital, but he's still relatively new to this. Minato and Kushina saw that a bunch of Naruto's clothes were worn when they cleared the apartment, so they went shopping for new stuff. The kid marveled at how soft his new pjs were and while brushing his teeth. He got two big hugs and kisses then went to bed at nine (as per the bedtime Minato and Kushina plan to enforce).**

 **That's all for now. I own nothing but my OCs. Enjoy!**

Chapter 9: Shock

 **October 10**

"Narutooooo~"

"Naruto~, wake uuuuup~"

Naruto frowned in his sleep at the two voices above his head. There was a hand on his chest gently shaking him.

"C'mon birthday boy, wake uuuuup~"

Now _that_ got his attention. He slowly opened his eye to find Minato and Kushina smiling at him.

"Happy birthday, sweetie."

"Happy birthday, Naruto."

Naruto smile back at them and sat up. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Kushina asked him how he slept.

"Best. Night. Ever! This bed is so comfy!"

"I'm glad you like it," Minato responded, "Now get dressed and downstairs. You'll be late for school if you don't eat soon."

Naruto nodded. Minato ruffled his hair while Kushina kissed the boy's cheek on their way out of the room. Naruto got out of bed and rifled through the dresser before settling on some pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and his orange vest. He went downstairs after attempting to brush his hair. It didn't help.

Delicious scents greeted Naruto's nose when he reached the bottom step. He walked into the dining room to find three plates set with a fried egg, white rice, and cooked strips of bell pepper, onions, and carrots. He smiled and half ran to his seat. His parents sat down opposite him. They said their thanks, then started eating.

About halfway through, Kushina gave him a set of envelopes. "Give these to your friends today," she explained, "Make sure you don't forget. Maybe set them on their desks before class."

"Ok…" Naruto wasn't sure what his mom was doing, but he agreed anyway.

They finished a few minutes later. Naruto got his backpack and walked over to the front door and put on his shoes. Minato followed his son with Kushina not far behind him. Both hugged their son before he ran out the door. Husband and wife shared a short kiss when the door closed.

"Alright," Kushina stated, "We have things to prepare. Decorations, food, a cake, a place for presents…" Kushina walked to the living as she listed the items.

"Wait a minute," Minato interrupted, "I thought we were his present."

"Presents from the guests."

"Ooooohhhhhhh."

"Yeeeeaaaah."

Minato shot his wife an unamused look. Kushina laughed.

"Let's get ready to go, we have a good bit of stuff to get."

* * *

Naruto handed the envelopes out as his mom requested. A few of them asked what it was for, but he answered with a shrug. He didn't know. They weren't happy with the answer but that was as good as they would get.

Of course, having only three or four friends, Naruto had extra envelopes. He didn't know why his mom gave him so many, but he wouldn't question her.

* * *

Kushina just finished with the cake when Minato entered the kitchen.

"I'm done with the decorations."

"Ok. Let me put this in the fridge and I'll take a look."

"What? Don't trust me?" Minato said sarcastically.

"I do, I just want to see it for myself. And to know where to direct people for gifts."

Kushina set the cake in the fridge then walked to the living room. She saw only light decorations. Minato set a small table to the right of the door, a "Happy Birthday" banner across the window in the far wall, some streamers around the other walls, and another small table in the back right corner. The couch still sat along the left wall but he'd moved the ottoman from the room. There were a few kids games in its place.

"This looks perfect!"

Just then, the front door opened. Naruto walked in, sat on the small step, and took his shoes off. "I'm home!"

"Welcome home, bud. Go on upstairs, I'll be up in a minute," Minato called from the living room.

"Ok." Naruto walked up the stairs to his room. Minato followed soon after.

Kushina took a quick look up the stairs to make sure no one was coming down anytime soon. She quickly heated and set out some of the food then turned to the front door. She put her shoes on and moved to sit on the front step.

She waited for about half an hour before she saw Shikaku Nara walked up with two boys. Both boys had a package under one arm.

"Shikaku-san, it is good to see you," Kushina greeted cordially.

"Kushina-sama, I am pleased to see you as well," the Nara clan head responded, "Though, when Shikamaru showed me an invitation to a birthday party for Naruto, I did not expect to see you hosting it."

"Well, I am his mother. Why would I not throw a party for my son?"

"Your son? Many aspects of him that confused me now make sense."

"Mm," Kushina hummed. She then turned to the two half-size males, "Would you boys mind telling me your names? Naruto talks about you all the time but he never told us what you look like."

The boy on the right, who look like a mini Shikaku, smiled at Kushina, "I'm Shikamaru!"

The other boy, who had swirl marks on his cheeks, light brown hair, and a rounder body, also looked up at Kushina and smiled, "I'm Choji!"

"Good to meet you two. Come on inside." Kushina guided the three inside. "Naruto doesn't know about this party, so please be as quiet as you can. He's working on homework upstairs with Minato."

Shikaku gave the woman a questioning look.

"Naruto may have Minato's intelligence, but he has my learning ability. He needs his work explained a certain way, otherwise he won't understand it. Please make yourselves comfortable. I'm going back outside to wait for more guests."

"Um, Kushina-sama," Shikamaru spoke quietly, "Naruto only gave out three envelopes. There'll only be one or two more people coming."

"Thank you, Shikamaru," Kushina responded then walked back outside. Her greetings of Tsume and Kiba Inuzuka were about the same as Shikaku and the other two boys. Both Shikaku and Tsume stayed to make sure the other eight-year-olds got home safe.

Kushina made sure that the three small packages were on the table by the door and the food she made, including the cake, was on the other table. She then went upstairs around 4 to gather Minato and Naruto. She found them in the middle of Naruto's floor doing a tandem chakra control exercise. She softly knocked on the door.

Minato made a gesture to end the exercise then subtly looked at Kushina. She nodded.

"I think that's good for today," Minato said, "Let's go see what your mom has downstairs, ok?"

"But don't we train for longer?" Naruto questioned.

"Yes, but I think cutting it short for one day won't hurt."

"Ok."

Minato guided Naruto to the living room. The boy gasped at the decorations and the guests. He recognized them, and knew what they were, but was surprised to find his three friends there.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Idiot!" Kiba exclaimed, "You invited us here!"

Naruto squinted, thinking. Then it dawned on him. The envelopes! They must have had party invitations! _Mom is so sneaky._

"You just gonna stand there?" Choji said, "Get over here!"

Naruto smiled. He rushed over to his friends, then the four grabbed a game. Minato and Kushina joined Shikaku and Tsume around the couch and watched the boys play.

* * *

The guests left around 7. Naruto waved and told them to come again. Minato and Kushina stood on either side of him. Kushina turned the eight-year-old blond back inside the house.

"Now," Minato started. Naruto and Kushina turned to him. "I know you haven't gone to the festival since you were five, but do you think you'll be willing to go with me and your mom?"

Naruto looked nervous.

"We don't have to if you don't want to."

Naruto scowled at the ground. His eyes flickered back and forth, as if he was debating with himself. The three stood there for about five minutes before Naruto looked up again. He looked determined. "I want to go!"

"You sure?" Kushina was uncertain.

Naruto gave a short nod before he sat down and put on his shoes. Kushina and Minato chuckled then put their own shoes on. Minato made sure he had his wallet and keys before guiding his family out the door. He grabbed Naruto's left hand and Kushina took the right. Naruto held his determined look but hid slightly behind his parents. They made their way over to the festival grounds. They got a few odd looks, but nobody did anything.

Naruto gained a little confidence which led to him smiling and skipping alongside his parents. They stopped by a dango stand at Naruto's insistence. The three walked side-by-side happily, until a disgruntled chunin pushed Naruto from behind. Kushina managed the catch her son before he hit the ground and Minato whirled around. He stepped in front of his wife and son, staring down the offending chunin. Two ANBU also appeared on either side of their Hokage. Naruto's soft sniffles from the dropped food were heard from behind the men.

"And what exactly do you think you are doing?" Minato demanded, directing a small amount of Killing Intent to the chunin.

"Nnnnnothing, Hokage-sama!"

"Really?" Kushina asked from behind Minato.

The chunin remained silent. Minato's KI heightened slightly, catching the attention of the surrounding people. Kushina moved to stand next to Minato and gave out her own death glare and KI. People needed to know that their current treatment of Naruto was unacceptable.

"Why did you knock over our son?"

The chunin, and surrounding people, gaped. _The demon is their son!?_ was the collective thought.

"Answer your Hokage!" Eagle shouted.

"Um well...he's the...um...uh...the...demon...sir...ma'am." The chunin did his best to become small while standing.

Minato's frown deepened, eyes narrowed, and left eyebrow rose. Kushina's hair started to levitate as her eyes widened. "Demon, huh?" She paused. "You do know that the scroll is not the kunai sealed inside, correct?"

The chunin paused before responding with a small voice, "I've heard the phrase but never understood what it meant."

"It means that the container is not what is sealed inside! Naruto is not the nine-tails because it is sealed within him! HE IS NARUTO AND NARUTO ALONE-DATTEBANE!" Kushina screamed in the chunin's face. Her eyes almost glowed in the rage of the famed red-hot habanero.

Minato continued in a low, dangerous voice, "Behavior like this will not be tolerated any longer."

Suddenly, Minato felt a tugging on his shirt and Kushina on her dress. Both turned around and found Naruto looking at them with unsure and nervous eyes.

"Mom, Dad? Can we go home now?"

 _Crap, we scared him._ Minato and Kushina pulled back their KI, causing the surrounding people and the chunin to relax, and knelt to Naruto's level. "I'm sorry we scared you," Minato told him gently.

"I'm ok. I just want to go home," Naruto replied in the same unsure and nervous voice.

Minato sighed, "Ok." Kushina rubbed Naruto's back a little and set a hand on Minato's shoulder. The man stood slowly. He paused at movement from his son, who wanted to be carried. Minato smiled gently and picked up Naruto. The boy put his arms around Minato's neck, keeping his eyes firmly on Kushina. Minato himself had an arm under his son's bottom and the other over his back. Minato stared straight ahead as they walked home, Kushina softly caressing Naruto's hair.

 **Review time!**

 **royalaces-The reason Naruto's identity was kept secret even when Minato and Kushina's survival was announced is because they were still confined to the hospital. Naruto may have had three years in the academy under his belt but he is still relatively defenseless to other shinobi, especially assassins from other villages. Minato and Kushina agreed that Naruto's identity would be kept secret until they were released from the hospital. Yes, ANBU are watching basically his every move, but there is always that measure of protection that comes with being anonymous. No one wants an unexpected repeat of Naruto's fifth birthday.**

 **DxGRAYxMAN-Yes, Naruto now has two people to welcome him home. :)**

 **Calzohh-Fluff levels over 9000!**

 **KatoGS123 Youtuber-I do have Minato there in a few chapters but I don't have anything for Kushina. I have plans to make a one-shot series based on this story that will include scenes that didn't make it into the story. Would you be okay with me adding your idea to the mix? It sounds like it'd make for a hilarious and confusing day at the academy.**


	11. Chapter 10: Changes

**One day late again. At least it's consistent...**

 **This are finally back to normal with the snow basically gone. The hills here are treacherous when covered in snow.**

 **Anyways, most of what happens between this chapter and the last is covered in the starting paragraphs, but Minato and Kushina did get Kakashi to actually introduce himself to Naruto and act a little bit like a big brother. He isn't seen too often because he has his own place and his tour in the ANBU to finish.**

 **That should be it. Feel free to review with any questions and/or concerns!**

 **I own nothing but my OCs. Enjoy!**

Chapter 10: Changes

 **First day of year 4, January**

To say that Naruto's life changed after his last birthday was an understatement. First, he learned that his parents were the godparents to his classmate, Sasuke. The Uchiha joined the family a few days after the school term ended. Second, Kushina enforced a varied diet, meaning that Naruto wasn't allowed to eat only ramen most of the time. His health improved greatly, and subsequently his training progressed faster. Third, the villagers' treatment of Naruto improved. Instead of hearing "demon brat" or "hell spawn", he was addressed as "honorable son", "young lord", or avoided. He didn't care. He was fine as long as they didn't hit him or anything.

His treatment at school was about the same for the last six weeks. His classmates avoided him out of fear of retribution and the teachers actually answered his questions. Naruto also approached Sasuke in an attempt to at least become friendly with the older boy. They were going to basically be brothers, after all. Sasuke returned the gesture, in small part because he didn't want conflict at home, but was hesitant to get truly close to people.

Kushina also started teaching Naruto the sealing arts and his kekkei genkai, the adamantine chains. The boy took to both like a fish to water. Minato, Kushina, and Sasuke knew that he would be as terrifying as his clan was when the training finished. However, that isn't to say that Sasuke was neglected. Quite the opposite. Sasuke was unused to the amount of attention Minato and Kushina gave; not even his own parents gave him that much when they were alive. All four worked on chakra control and taijutsu. Minato even found old Uchiha scrolls on their Interceptor style and many of the clan's other jutsus so he and Kushina could help teach Sasuke. The boy didn't want to believe they did it because they cared because if he did, that would mean he'd have to admit that he grew attached to them as well.

But while Sasuke, Kushina, and Minato grew closer, Naruto and Sasuke's relationship got more strained. The near constant presences made ignoring each other difficult and the work done on their relationship during school crumbled. Minato and Kushina had to confine both boys to their rooms at least once a day. Eventually, Kushina managed to get to the root of why Sasuke was so uncooperative. She managed to convince him that going at it alone was an awful and dangerous idea and that making friends and asking for help would be his best bet to avenge his clan. Naruto and Sasuke still had their fights, like all siblings do, but they were never as bad as the start.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke walked to school together that day. They were silent. They had had a slightly larger fight the day before and both were still fuming. Kiba joined them on the walk and the tension eased a bit with the addition of the third boy and his new puppy ninken, Akamaru.

* * *

Minato also went back to work as Hokage the first week of January. Kushina and the boys were sad that he wasn't going to be home all day anymore but everyone was developing a little bit of cabin fever. Minato might be a calmer person, but he still had his limits. He left the house with a boxed lunch, well-wishes from his family, and a promise to be home by dinner time.

Going back to work was an adjustment. Minato was thankful the Hiruzen made a point to stop by daily with updates on the village so that he was never out of the loop. Some of staff had to readjust themselves to Minato's methods but the transition was smooth overall. Minato was just a natural born leader.

* * *

Kushina was a little lonely. She had the entire day to herself now that Naruto and Sasuke were back in school and Minato was at work. She still wasn't quite back at full strength, so she couldn't ask for any missions, but then again, why would she? She had two boys in the academy to look after. She wouldn't feel comfortable taking missions again until they were genin, until they could mostly take care of themselves.

So she was stuck.

Kushina thought to do some seal work, but she didn't have any projects at the moment. She also didn't know which of her friends were alive, discounting Mikoto. She thought to herself for a few more minutes before deciding to go for a walk. She'd always loved Konoha in the winter, and right then was a perfect time to see it.

* * *

Naruto, Sasuke, and Kiba got a little attention when they walked into class, but the teacher called the students to their seats before anyone could do anything. Sasuke sat on the opposite side of the room as Naruto. The teacher then started with introductions and a review of the basic functions in math; addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

* * *

Shikamaru and Choji walked over to Naruto during lunch.

"So," Shika started, "How's living with Sasuke?"

"He moved in right after year three ended, right?" Choji added.

"Yeah," Naruto sighed, "It's been interesting, to put it mildly. He refused to listen to anyone at first, even when training together. The two of us fought almost constantly. I was sent to my room so many times. But he got sent to his room too, so that made it a little better. It was like that for nearly two weeks before mom had a _long_ talk with him. After that, he was more agreeable. I think dad finding scrolls on some Uchiha jutsu helped, too, showed him that we care."

"So you two get along?" Kiba asked.

"Ish. Kinda. It's better than what was before, but far from perfect. We still have our fights. At least we don't yell at each other or end up in our rooms anymore."

"At least there's that."

* * *

Minato dismissed the genins who had just finished their report. They had spent nearly three hours hunting down Tora the cat. What the Daimyo's wife saw in the cat, Minato would never know. He couldn't fathom why she'd want a cat that hated her. _I'll just stick with the toads._

* * *

Kushina smiled as she entered the house that afternoon. She had run into some of her former classmates while out. They caught up and had some wonderful conversation. Then _the question_ came up. Was Naruto really hers? Kushina scowled at how they asked. The disgust in their voices riled her like few things could. While she showed anger often, very few things could truly infuriate her. Their blatant display of hate towards her son was most definitely one of them. She had thought that any displays of hate and aggression at Naruto were taken care of on his birthday when Minato scared that chunin, but apparently not. She answered with a short 'yes,' then abruptly left.

She walked around the village a little while longer, saw a few more old friends, and then picked up some groceries. Feeding two growing boys and a Hokage was not easy, especially when two of them were picky eaters. She was always astounded when thinking about just how opposite her boys were in the foods they often refused. Naruto's aversion was vegetables and Sasuke's was sweets. She smiled and shook her head. She got the food and then went home, smiling while she walked through the front door.

She put the food away and made sure there was some stuff ready for the boys when they got home.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke got home around half-past three. They mumbled hellos to Kushina, then went to their rooms. She pulled them to the living room about fifteen minutes later to work on homework where she could see them. Naruto needed a little more help than Sasuke, as expected, but he still did most of it by himself. Afterwards all three went out to the yard to train.

Minato got back to the house around five-thirty that evening. He went to the kitchen and kissed Kushina's cheek before going outside to work with the boys. They were finished with the chakra control and ninjutsu practice by then, so Minato mostly focused on taijutsu sparring. Kushina called them all in for dinner about half an hour later.

* * *

The boys went to bed around nine that night, as they were expected to every night. Most school days passed similar to that. Naruto and Sasuke eventually worked out their differences and became close, with Minato and Kushina showering both with their love. Minato struggled a little with the amount of work the Hokage position entailed, but always made sure to be home by seven at the latest each night. They all grew as close as could be.

 **No reviews this time :( (I love talking to you guys)**


	12. Chapter 11: Graduation

**Another Wednesday update, I should probably have it be the official update day.**

 **Anyway, another big timeskip. *sigh*. I wish I could think of fluff that can happen between the chapters, however that is not my style. If I think of something, I'll give it to you.**

 **Mostly school and other things happened between this chapter and the last. The anime said that things were quiet during this time period as well, so, yeah.**

 **I own nothing but my OCs. Enjoy!**

Chapter 11: Graduation

 **June, four years later, Main graduation test day**

"I'm gonna beat you for rookie of the year today!"

"In your dreams!"

"Naruto! Sasuke! Eat." Kushina stared pointedly at them. They immediately quieted and started eating again. Minato chuckled to himself. _Boys._

They finished breakfast a few minutes later. Minato gave his well wishes to the boys and a small kiss to Kushina. He grabbed his lunch out of the fridge and left for the office. Kushina talked to Sasuke and Naruto about a few things to do with their coming test. She wanted to make sure that they were ready.

Eventually, she had to let them go. They were about to become ninja today.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke both sat near the middle rows of the classroom waiting for the written test to start. Everyone was told to enter quietly and not touch the paper in front of them. Once they were all seated, Iruka told them that they had an hour to answer the questions on the paper. Anyone caught cheating would be taken to the hall and failed for this testing cycle. They began at his word.

There were 20 questions ranging from beginning to advanced material. Sasuke finished his test in about twenty-five minutes, with Sakura a few minutes later. Naruto, Ino, Hinata, and Shino finished about forty minutes in. Choji, Kiba, and most of the rest of the civilians finished between forty-five to fifty minutes in. Three students still hadn't finished when time was called.

"Alright everyone," Mizuki announced, "Iruka will collect all the tests and grade them while you have a fifteen minute break. Those who score high enough will move on to the next section. Those who have not finished, I am sorry but you will need to wait for the next cycle. Dismissed."

The three dejectedly shuffled out of the room. Naruto told them that they could do it, they just needed to work a little harder. They smiled a little at his words as they left.

Ten minutes later, Iruka came back with the graded tests. He told them that they needed at least a 70% to move on. He listed those who passed and two more students walked out of the room. Iruka and Mizuki then led the remaining students out to the throwing range. They explained that each needed at least 10 out of 15 in both kunai and shuriken. The students got in line and started throwing. Another three students walked home after failing. Naruto made sure to encourage them in their studies.

When all the kunai and shuriken were collected and put away, the two chunin senseis lead the remaining students back to the classroom for a quick lunch. They went to the taijutsu grounds afterwards.

"Ok," Iruka started, "The taijutsu matches will go like this: you will have ten minutes to either match your opponent, force them out of the ring, or best them. This will be taijutsu only. Use of any weapons or other jutsus is strictly forbidden. Opponents who match both move on to the last stage. Those who are forced out of the ring or bested will not move on. Opponents will be randomly assigned."

The battles went for about an hour. During that time, two students were bested and three others forced out of the ring. Mizuki led them back to the locker room to rest a little and gather their things. Naruto still kept up his encouraging words.

After a half hour break to cool down and rest, the remaining eleven waited in their classroom. Mizuki explained that the ninjutsu test was administered by him, Iruka, and Hokage-sama.

Naruto perked up a little at that and looked out the window to see if he could watch Minato walk in. Iruka chuckled and told him that Hokage-sama was already in the building. Naruto sighed and returned to his seat.

Getting back to the task at hand, Mizuki continued his instructions. The test would be on the Academy Three; kawarimi, henge, and bunshin. The students were also instructed to leave the building when their test was over and not return to the classroom.

Some questioned why. Mizuki explained that it was so no one could know who passed and start getting their hopes up in terms of team placement. Others asked why Minato needed to be there. It was because he arranged the teams and needed to see the hopefuls himself. His explanations finished, Mizuki called the first student, Sakura.

"One last thing." Mizuki added as he walked out, "Those who pass: be here at 8:30 tomorrow morning for team assignments."

Sasuke watched as two more students got called before he did. He followed Mizuki to a room with a table with three chairs. Mizuki sat in the empty one while Iruka was on the other end and Minato in the middle. One last chair stood off to the side.

Minato smiled at his son in all but blood as he walked in. Sasuke looked relaxed but Minato could see that little bit of tension in his shoulders. _Good. He's confident but still knows he has the potential for failure. We taught him a good balance._

"Ok, Sasuke," Iruka stated, "Kawarimi with the chair over there."

Sasuke switched places with the chair then back. Minato and the two chunin jotted a few notes down before moving on to the henge. Sasuke changed in a perfect replica of Naruto. Minato quirked a little smile. _Of course he changes into one of his closest friends._

Iruka and Mizuki also smiled at the display. They jotted some more notes down then told him to perform the bunshin. Sasuke performed the hand signs and suddenly; there were four Sasukes instead of one.

"Perfect." Minato smiled. "Come here and grab your headband."

Sasuke lit up and nearly ran to the table. He grabbed the headband from Minato's hand, thanked him, and left the room.

"Ok, Mizuki. Go get the next one."

* * *

Naruto watched as Sasuke left the room. The blonde gave his brother figure a thumbs up then settled in to wait again. He waited through three more people before being called. His test went much the same as Sasuke's, except he used the kage bunshin as his chakra control wasn't quite good enough to perform the academy bunshin. Both he and Minato were happy that the latter taught the former early.

* * *

"Alright," Iruka started, "We have nine students who passed this cycle. Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, Hinata Hyuuga, Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, and Sakura Haruno. How do we want to do this?"

"Well Hokage-sama," Mizuki inquired, "Who are the jonin sensei?"

Minato leaned back in his chair. "We have Asuma Sarutobi, Kakashi Hatake, and Kurenai Yuhi."

"Do we want to keep the Ino-Shika-Cho tradition?" Iruka asked.

"Yes. I already planned for that. Sarutobi would be a good sensei to them. He is Sandiame-sama's son after all," Minato replied.

"So that leaves four other clan heirs, your son, and the civilian kunoichi," Mizuki pondered, "Hinata is a very shy girl, I think more outgoing and encouraging teammates would be good for her."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Minato interrupted Mizuki's thought, "Who are the rookie and kunoichi of the year?"

"Sasuke and Sakura respectively."

"And the dead last?"

"Kiba."

"Ok, those three will be a team," Minato stated. His tone left no room for argument. "However, the jonin sensei will be a more difficult one to place. Kakashi would be a good sensei for them with his knowledge of the sharingan, however, his more laid-back attitude would not be a good example for Kiba. Kurenai would be good role model to show Sakura the ability of kunoichis and her genjutsu prowess is good for Sasuke."

"So the last team would be Naruto, Hinata, and Shino?" Iruka interjected

"Yes. Shino is also fairly reserved, like most of his clan, and Naruto's encouraging and bubbly personality would bring both his teammates out of their shells. Now, just to assign a sensei!" Minato ran both hands over his face.

"Well, if I may?" Iruka started. Minato nodded. "I think Kakashi would be a good sensei for Hinata, Shino, and Naruto. His laid-back attitude and Naruto's natural excitement would, hopefully, relax Shino and Hinata's stiffer personalities. He'd also make sure they were safe and prepared. Which leaves Kurenai with Sasuke, Sakura, and Kiba. The genjutsu is a great plus for this arrangement and since Sakura doesn't have much support from her parents like Naruto and the clan kids do, Kurenai would be a great motivator for the girl."

"Hm, good points. Thank you, Iruka, I'll think on this."

 **Review time!**

 **-Thanks for thinking this is super! (I do not know Russian, please forgive me if that translated wrong.)**

 **Calzohh-Yup, oh so wholesome. The bit with Naruto talking with Choji and Shikamaru, especially.**

 **MidnaMoo-I know my pacing is awful. I'm more a to-the-point, plot only, type of writer. I'm thinking I may rewrite this later when I have ideas on how to pace better and what I can add.**

 **The idea with Sasuke was that since Kushina and Mikoto (Sasuke's mom) were good friends, Mikoto would have left her boys to Minato and Kushina should anything happen to her and Fugaku.**

 **Uchiha Arashi-This will not be yaoi. They will be brothers in all but blood, and love each other in that manner.**


	13. Chapter 12: Betrayal

**Hello all. Another Wednesday update, oh well.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed how I did the test. I know it may not seem fair to have them sent home immediately when they fail, but I think it would be better so that they can have some comfort from their parents. I also didn't want to deal with certain loud people (Ino, Naruto, and others) to start theorizing over who will be put on which team. Also, I don't write fight scenes. They just don't happen with me.**

 **Anyway, Naruto sprinted the entire way home after getting his headband and proceeded to talk Kushina's ear off about the test. Sasuke also talked to Kushina excitedly, but not as loud as his brother. Minato came home a few hours later.**

Chapter 12: Betrayal

 **The Night of Graduation**

Naruto, Choji, Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Kiba went to the Akimichi's barbeque for dinner. The boys made sure they had their parents okay before going, of course. They had a ball at the barbeque. Being regular boys they made a small ruckus but Choji's mother had the foresight to put them in more separate area. They could yell all they wanted but no one could hear them.

Sasuke left with Kiba around eight that night. Naruto told his brother that he'd be home by nine. Sasuke nodded, promising to pass the message along to Minato and Kushina.

* * *

Naruto did leave Akimichi's a little before nine. However, he saw something while passing the Hokage Tower on his way home. He looked and saw Mizuki running down the street with the scroll of sealing on his back. Naruto ran after his former sensei while shouting to any shinobi nearby to raise the alarm.

The boy managed to catch up to Mizuki and attempt a punch to the man's face. Mizuki grabbed the fist before it hit and spun Naruto around, putting the boy in a choke hold while keeping the arm restrained.

"Now, Naruto," Mizuki mocked, "What are you doing out so late?"

Naruto struggled to get free but Mizuki was too strong. Fearing getting caught, the older male quickly tied his former student with ninja wire and threw the boy over his shoulder. He ran to the woods.

* * *

Kushina looked at the clock again. Nine-fifteen. Naruto should have been home by then. She looked at Minato and was about to go to the door when an alarm sounded. Sasuke rushed down the stairs in his pyjamas as an ANBU appeared in the living room. Minato and Kushina stood immediately.

"Hokage-sama! Mizuki has stolen the scroll of sealing! He attempted to flee the village and has taken a hostage."

Minato frowned. "Where are they now?"

"In the forest surrounding the village. Eight shinobi and two ANBU teams are in pursuit. They are close to surrounding the two."

"Who is the hostage?"

The ANBU paused. Minato squinted his eyes. "ANBU, who is the hostage?"

"Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze."

The blood drained from both Minato and Kushina's faces. Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Sasuke, go back to your room," Minato ordered, "Kushina and I will be back with Naruto soon. ANBU, send word to those in pursuit that we are on our way. Capture Mizuki, but no harm will come to Naruto."

"Yes, sir," both Sasuke and the ANBU say with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Sasuke slowly walked back upstairs and the ANBU disappeared. Minato and Kushina quickly readied themselves for combat and followed the ANBU.

Ten minutes later found them in a clearing with seventeen other shinobi and ANBU surrounding Mizuki, who had a kunai to his hostage's throat. Naruto whimpered a little in Mizuki's hold.

Minato stepped towards the two of the but stopped when Mizuki held the kunai closer to the new genin's neck. Naruto winced and let out a small gasp.

"Naruto," Minato tried to confort, "Just stay calm. We'll get you free and you'll be home soon, safe and sound."

"Right," Mizuki sneered, "Like I'm gonna let him go. Let him live. He holds the beast that nearly destroyed the village and murdered hundreds, including my parents. We'd be better off without it!"

"Silence, traitor!" An ANBU bellowed from behind the silver-haired man, "You have no say here!"

Mizuki simply smirked. Suddenly, a jonin jumped behind Mizuki from his perch in a tree. Sensing the approach, the traitor swiped the kunai across Naruto's throat and made to jump away. He was too slow. He found himself tightly wrapped in adamantine chains coming from Kushina's back. The woman's hair floated around her head like a Medusa as she flung him around.

While Kushina took her anger out, Minato and three other ninja rushed to Naruto. His eyes were open and looking around slowly as he breathed erratically through his slightly parted lips. Minato knelt near his son's head as one of the ninjas attempted some field aid. Naruto bled profusely and choked on his own blood. Minato could see the sliced windpipe through the blood and only his ninja training kept him from vomiting.

"You'll be okay, bud." Naruto's eyes slid in Minato's direction. _Good, he's responsive. Even if his eyes aren't focused, he can still hear and make it known._ "Before you know it, we'll be back home eating some ramen that your mom made."

Naruto blinked slowly. He attempted to smile but couldn't move his mouth much.

"Sir," the medic nin interrupted, "We need to get him to the hospital now."

Minato looked up at the medic. He nodded once and the three ninjas vanished with Naruto in tow. Minato closed his eyes for a moment before remembering the reason Naruto was in that position. He stood and looked around. Mizuki was still being flung around by Kushina's chains. However, he had a good number of cuts and bruises littered around his body. Kushina still had a look of murderous rage.

"Kushina! Kushina!" Minato shouted, "Stop! We need to know why and the only way we can find out is if he lives! Please, calm down! You can take your vengeance out on him later!"

Kushina looked at her husband with anger and tears in her eyes. She turned back then slammed Mizuki into the ground one last time, knocking him out. Four ANBU surrounded the man and took him to T&I. Minato dismissed the rest of the shinobi and walked over to Kushina. He wrapped his arms around her and spoke softly in her ear.

"The medic and two others took Naruto to the hospital. We should go get Sasuke and head over."

Kushina nodded absently.

* * *

Eight genin gathered in their old classroom the following morning. Sasuke looked miserable. Even his fangirls knew to leave him alone. A hush fell over the room when Iruka walked in.

"I'm going to start with the class standings. The rookie of the year is Sasuke Uchiha followed by Shikamaru Nara then Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. The kunoichi of the year is Sakura Haruno followed by Hinata Hyuuga and Ino Yamanaka. The last of the class is Kiba Inuzuka."

Quiet cheers sounded around the classroom and some muttering was heard. Iruka cleared his throat and the preteens quieted.

"However, due to last night's incident, team assignments have been postponed to next Monday."

More muttering made its way through the classroom before Choji spoke up.

"Is the incident why Naruto and Mizuki-sensei aren't here?"

"Yes, but that is all I'm allowed to tell you. You are dismissed. Enjoy the week of free time and I'll see you next week for the assignments."

* * *

Minato ran his hands down his face for the fifth time that hour. He wanted to focus on the backup team placements but Naruto's condition took over his thoughts. Tsunade wasn't in the village right then and the doctors couldn't do much more than close the wound. Naruto lost a lot of blood that night. Minato really did not want to need backup placements because he had hope that his son would live. However, everything he was hearing from the hospital staff said otherwise. Kushina refused to leave Naruto's side and Sasuke joined her soon after. Minato needed to get these assignments done.

Knowing he wouldn't be able to focus on it for much longer, Minato pushed the paper for team assignment to a corner of his desk and looked over some of the other paperwork to be done. He couldn't focus on that either. Minato sighed, created a shadow clone, and walked out to the roof. He looked up at the faces on Hokage monument. He slowly closed his eyes then lowered his head and sighed again. _I don't want to lose him._

 **Review time!**

 **DxGRAYxMAN-Must not spoil...must not spoil... must..not..spoil!**


	14. Chapter 13: Our Best Friend

**My apologies for how late this is! I had finals for the quarter this week, so my brain got a little fried. But I'm on spring break right now, so I now have time and energy to do stuff!**

 **The only major thing that really happened between this chapter and the last was Mizuki's interrogation and execution. My headcannon is that the intentional harming (i.e. kidnapping, assault, murder) of a Hokage or a member of their family is basically treason in the eyes of the village. Mizuki is also a traitor, he probably would've been executed anyway.**

 **All that's left of this story is the epilogue. Thank you to those who followed, favorited, and reviewed. I appreciate you guys so much!**

 **Enjoy! I own nothing but my OCs.**

Chapter 13: Our Best Friend

 **Monday, The Following Week**

Nine genin gathered again in their classroom. However, none recognized their ninth companion. He had short black hair and pale, almost white, skin. They were about to ask who he was when Iruka walked in. The chunin held an air of sadness to him and another hush fell in the classroom.

"Hello, my former students," Iruka started, "Your teams are now set. However, there is a small trip you have the option of taking before your jonin senseis come to get you."

"Is it to go see Naruto?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yes. I've received confirmation from Yondaime-sama that Naruto is not going to make it. He was too badly injured from the incident last week."

No one spoke. They just looked down at the desks they sat at. The genin jumped when Iruka cleared his throat.

"Ok, so team assignments are as follows; Team 7: Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai under Kakashi Hatake; Team 8: Shino, Hinata, and Kiba under Kurenai Yuhi; Team 9 is still active so Team 10: Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji under Asuma Sarutobi. Now, who here wants to see Naruto?"

The hands of every kid in the room shot up. Iruka nodded and lead them to the hospital.

Minto and Kushina along with a nurse were in the room when Iruka and the new genin arrived. The nurse stood by a few large machines to Naruto's left, ready to turn them off. Kushina and Minato stood on the other side of the bed near Naruto's head. The mother's left hand rested on her son's hair. Both parents looked forlornly at their dying son.

Shikamaru was unable to tear his eyes away from his friend. Naruto looked so frail. He had a tube in his mouth and nose with more tubes going from his chest to the large machines on his left. He had IVs in both arms and a heart monitor on his right hand. He was so pale. Shikamaru walked up to the bed slowly.

Minato noticed the clan heir's approach and spoke to the class, "Say your goodbyes now, the machines are turning off soon."

Shikamaru took a few breaths before speaking, "Naruto, goodness, what do I even say? I'm sorry? I wished I was there with you? I know I couldn't have changed anything by being there." He sighed. "We've been friends for years. I remember how it was before Yondaime and Kushina-sama were released. A lot of the adults refused to have anything to do with you. But my dad wasn't like that. I'm thankful for that because you are an amazing friend. I'm gonna miss you, my friend." Shikamaru bowed his head and walked back to the group. Choji walked up next.

"Naruto, thank you. Shikamaru was right in saying that you are an amazing friend. You never judged me. I've never felt ashamed to munch on something even though you didn't have much to eat. I think you're the first one I've ever shared my snacks with. Thank you for being so kind and loyal. You are one of my very best friends. You'll be missed dearly." Choji had tears streaming down his face by the time he was done. Iruka guided him back to the group as Kiba walked up.

"You know, my mom can be terrifying sometimes. Dad died in the attack twelve years ago and she's been mostly tough and cold ever since. Hana said that mom used to be kinder and gentler and she thinks something in mom broke that night. Anyway, you helped bring some warmth back to my life. She's gotten warmer over time, but you've always been a bright spot for me. Thank you so much. I'm gonna miss you more than anything. Goodbye." Kiba stepped back and Hinata took his place.

"Naruto-kun." Hinata took a breath, "I planned to tell you this when we were older, but I guess that can't happen now. Naruto-kun, I've had a crush on you since we were three, when you saved me from bullies that bright winter day. You've been unintentionally by my side ever since. Defending me, encouraging me. Your smile brought me happiness whenever you walked into the room. Thank you for bringing me so much happiness. The village won't be the same without you. Goodbye. I'll miss you so much!" Hinata, too, cried as Iruka guided her back to the group. Ino cautiously approached the bed.

"I've thought you were annoying for so long. Loud, obnoxious, and an idiot. You were friends with Shikamaru and Choji, and because our dads are friends, I saw you a ton. I refused to talk to you even though my dad said I should. I detested you. Then you came to live with your parents, and Sasuke joined you a few weeks later. I could see the change. You're a bright light in a world of darkness. You'll be missed. Goodbye." Sakura stepped up when Ino returned to the group.

"I've thought you were an idiot ever since you started at the academy. Always falling asleep in class. You never paid attention. But you always encouraged everyone to work hard and get better. 'I never go back on my word', your ninja way. You really did follow it. You kept your word to everyone you made a promise to, even if it cost you greatly. Just like right now. You promised to keep the village safe with your life. And you have. Thank you." Sasuke stood at Naruto's side after Sakura moved back to the group. Sai didn't move when Iruka asked if he wanted to say something. He didn't know Naruto, so he didn't have anything to say.

"Naruto," Sasuke sighed, "When we first met at the academy, I thought of you like Ino and Sakura did. I thought you were annoying, loud, and obnoxious. But then your parents came back. And I found out that they were my godparents. I was without parents for almost a year and a half when they brought me into our home. Gave me a family again. I know I was awful those first few weeks and I wish I could take those days back. I wish I could take every fight back, every mean word, every rude name, every punch. I was so scared to get close to you because I thought Itachi would hurt you too. Then Kushina-san talked to me and I knew that you wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. You became my brother, the brother I lost. You saved me from the darkness Itachi tried to establish in me. You saved me from myself. Thank you. Thank you so much. I wouldn't be the person I am today without you and you are my brother in all but blood. I won't let myself fall into darkness because I know you wouldn't want that for me. You'd want me to fight on, become strong, and make friends. So that is what I will do. In your memory, I will become strong enough to keep those precious to me safe. And I will never go back on my word as my ninja way. Thank you for everything you've done for me. I will miss you more than anything in the world." Sasuke stopped. He looked at Naruto's pale face. "I love you as I once loved Itachi. Goodbye, little brother," Sasuke cried.

Minato took the boy's shoulders and tucked him under his arm. Sasuke looked up at his adoptive father then to his former teacher, questioning. Iruka looked to Minato for confirmation, to which the Hokage nodded assent. The chunin then guided the other eight genin out of the room and back to the school.

"The kyuubi?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"Transferred back to Kushina this morning."

Sasuke remained silent. Kushina ran her thumb over Naruto's forehead for a few moments.

"Are we ready?" the nurse asked.

The other two adults nodded. No one spoke as the machines pumping Naruto's blood and helping him breathe powered down. The heart monitor beeped a few more times before flat-lining. Sasuke remained engulfed in Minato's arms and Kushina laid her head on Naruto's chest. The nurse turned off the rest of the machines and left the family to mourn.

Naruto felt odd. It was as if he were awake and asleep at the same time. The only other time he felt like this was waking up after the villagers attacked him when he was five. He thought he heard noise, a constant hum. He also heard voices throughout his time there. Mostly it was the same five or so voices. Then he heard a bunch of different voices all at once. He couldn't make out what anyone said, but he heard their sadness. He wanted to talk to them but couldn't.

Then the hum stopped. He felt a pull down to deeper darkness and tried to resist but couldn't. He heard a different hum before fully succumbing.

Naruto didn't know what to make of the place he woke up in next. It looked like a galaxy sky but the background was a softer pink, almost white, and there looked to be shooting stars all around.

He stood up to look around when he saw a dark spot. The spot got bigger until it took the shape of a person, a girl. She had short brown hair, lovely brown eyes, and purple marks on her face. She had a black shirt, light pink apron skirt with black shorts underneath, dark red thigh-high socks, and blue shinobi sandals. She smiled at him.

"Hello, I'm Rin," she introduced herself, "What's your name?"

"Naruto, dattebayo!"

"'Dattebayo'? That sounds like Kushina-san's 'dattebane'."

"My mom's name is Kushina!

"Really? What's your dad's name?"

"Minato! He's the Yondaime Hokage and hero of the village!"

"Minato-sensei…" She smiled again, "You're my sensei's son! And since you're his son, I'm gonna show you everything about this place while we wait."

"Ok! But, who are we waiting for?"

"Your parents and everyone else close to us."

Naruto just gave Rin a big smile. She took his hand and led him somewhere off in the pure plane.

 **Review Time!**

 **DxGRAYxMAN-There is a limit to what even Kurama can do. As you can tell from this chapter, Naruto is not immortal. There's a point when the bloodloss is too great and the brain too damaged...**

 **royalaces-Yep. Honestly, I think he'd be involved in that with many circumstances we could alter the original story to. I just made mine take a more tragic turn.**

 **seraphimnight-Yep. Mizuki is a traitor to the village and already hated Naruto for the kyuubi, so why would he care that Naruto was the Hokage's child?**


	15. Epilogue: Hello

**Here we are. The last chapter...**

 **I hope this doesn't feel like a cop-out or anything. But yeah, HUGE time time-skip here.**

 **Sasuke made sure to keep his promise to Naruto. He made friends and worked well with his team. He saw through Orochimaru's offer and stayed loyal to the village. Having parents and a brother teach how to love and let people in again really did wonders for him. I hope I did a good job filling in what happened during the time-skip. If anyone wants to write little one-shots and/or omakes for this, I am all for it.**

 **This was a fun ride with you guys. I hope you enjoy this last chapter. I own nothing but my OCs.**

Epilogue: Hello

 **Konoha Hospital, 50 years later**

Minato and Kushina laid side-by-side among the white walls again. They were well into their eighties at that point, with their health deteriorating rapidly. They heard from the nurse that the Nanadaime Hokage was being inaugurated that day. They hoped that Sarada would do well during her reign as Hokage. The first Uchiha and Lady Hokage. Both smiled at the thought.

The village was nearly lost a few times over the years, but always recovered. The first was during Sasuke's first Chunin exams when Suna betrayed Konoha by allying with Orochimaru. Sasuke and Kushina managed to calm Suna's jinchuuriki, Gaara. However, Yondaime Kazekage, Raza, and Sandaime Hokage both died in the attack. Kushina and Sasuke introduced Gaara to Naruto after the battle concluded and told the red-haired boy the blond's story. Gaara remained friends with Sasuke and Kushina.

The second and third times were during the Fourth Shinobi War. Pein of the Akatsuki attacked the second time in a bid for Kushina. Jiraya's final message through Pa toad helped a little, but they didn't figure it out until after the village was leveled. A combination of Minato, Sasuke, and Tsunade managed to defeat the Akatsuki leader and save the village. The third was when Madara was revived and launched an attack on all the elemental nations. Only when all five nations banded together did they stand a chance. They had a hard and long battle. So many good shinobi were lost. But the combined army managed to defeat the crazed Uchiha, which ushered in a peace unprecedented. The Kages finally got along and could possibly consider each other friends. Minato never thought he'd see the day.

Sasuke also achieved his goals. He found out the truth of the massacre after taking Itachi's life and harbored a small grudge towards the village ever since. However, he did not let it stop him from working to rebuild his clan. He worked with some construction crews to restore the compound and married his teammate, Sakura. They had a happy marriage with four kids and currently had fourteen grandchildren, with two more on the way.

Eventually, Minato decided after Sasuke's twentieth birthday that it was time to appoint a new Hokage. His list of people he thought could take over was short but he didn't really need to debate between those candidates. He chose his last live student, Kakashi, who took the seat with grace. Minato knew that Kakashi didn't really want the position but as always, he stepped up. Kakashi made a great Hokage, fair and just with a sense of mercy that saved many.

Kakashi reigned for about fifteen years before handing over the hat to Konohamaru Sarutobi. As the grandson of Sandaime Hokage, Konohamaru had an idea of just how much was involved in being Hokage. Konohamaru was close to the Uzumaki-Namikaze family and he often referred to Naruto as 'Big Brother Naruto'. Naruto's influence was easily seen in Konohamaru's methods and how much he dedicated himself to the good of the village. And today, Konohamaru handed the hat over to his student, Sarada, Sasuke's eldest child.

Minato and Kushina held hands as they breathed slowly. Both could feel themselves fading. They closed their eyes and breathed their last, their heart monitors flatlining at the same time.

* * *

The couple woke up in a bright place. It seemed like a galaxy with a pale pink background and shooting stars everywhere. They looked at each other. To the shock of both of them, they looked as they did the day Naruto was born.

Minato and Kushina decided to get up and look around when they saw something coming towards them. Minato squinted to try and make it out. He then gasped as his eyes widened and tears started streaming down his face. Kushina laid a hand on his arm.

"Minato?"

"Naruto. It's Naruto!" He cried, "Wait! Rin and Obito are behind him, and Jiraya-sensei."

Kushina gasped as well, looking at the people approaching. Naruto tackled both his parents in a hug with Rin and Obito following suit not long after. Jiraya chuckled at the kids' antics.

"Welcome home Minato, Kushina," He greeted.

"Mom, dad, you're going to love it here!" Naruto exclaimed, grabbing his parents' hands and dragging them away.

"I'm sure we will."

 **Review Time!**

 **Poison cookie 2101-I had the idea of Minato and Kushina coming back sometime during Naruto's childhood and giving him a family. I was also inspired by the breakfast scene from Erased.**

 **DxGRAYxMAN-I know I ended with heartbreak. I hope this chapter was a little easier on the feels.**

 **seraphimnight-Yep. Darned traitors.**

 **zafnak-That was an incredibly accurate prediction. I'm impressed. (I can tell from your wording that you wanted to continue the series with Sasuke as the main. However, I tend to loose focus with long stories and will often sort of 'abandon' them. See "Direct" and "The Prince".)**

 **I did not notice that I didn't include Shino! And he would understand Naruto the most, being somewhat ostracized for kikaichu. Gosh darn it! I will add him if/when I get around to rewriting this.**


End file.
